Reconsider Sandoval Citizenship

EDITORIALS

May 12, 1997

The specific circumstances under which Arturo Sandoval "joined" the Communist Party in Cuba should be considered fully in deciding whether he's eligible for United States citizenship. A renowned trumpeter and now a professor at Florida International University in Miami, Sandoval was rejected for U.S. citizenship by the Immigration and Naturalization Service because he was a Communist Party member for three months.

The circumstances argue strongly for reconsideration of the arbitrary ruling. Sandoval's reason for joining the party was related to his decision to defect from Cuba; unless he joined, his wife and child wouldn't have been able to accompany him on a European tour from which he defected to the U.S.

In Cuba, Sandoval kept quiet about politics while building a reputation as a virtuoso trumpeter who performed splendidly in classical, jazz or dance music. In 1990 he became part of Dizzy Gillespie's orchestra, but had to get permission first from the Castro government in Cuba.

By joining the Communist Party, Sandoval was able to take his wife, Marianela, and son, Arturo Jr., with him on Gillespie's European tour. He defected in Athens, Greece, after Gillespie called the White House on his behalf.

At 47, and a three-time Grammy winner, Sandoval considers this country his home and wants to be a citizen. He never was active in the Communist Party, and the INS ought to reconsider his case.

The decades-old rule against allowing U.S. citizenship to anyone who was a Communist Party member seems illogical when applied to the specifics of Sandoval's case. The INS should be realistic, not rigid, in applying the rule.